Ardmore 12 Year Old 2008 Cask #709254 (Blackadder Raw Cask)

A 12 year old single cask Ardmore released by Blackadder in 2021 under the Raw Cask programme, distilled in 2008 and bottled at 60.4% natural strength. Blackadder operates from Edinburgh with Robin Tucek's Raw Cask programme running since the 1990s, characterised by bottlings that include sediment and cask deposits drawn directly from the cask without filtration. The 60.4% outturn strength and very small 54 bottle yield suggest either significant evaporative drainage or a small remainder cask format. 54 bottles for the Belgian market from cask #709254.

Filled at 63.5% into a single ex Bourbon refill American oak cask in 2008, the spirit matured at Kennethmont under the post 2001 steam heating regime. Twelve years brought the strength to 60.4%, with no chill filtration applied at bottling and the Raw Cask programme's signature deposits left in suspension.

Refill Bourbon at high outturn strength reads with a tight oak frame. Cis whisky lactone gives soft coconut and pine, vanillin from oak lignin shows as light custard. Steam era distillate lacks the coal era Maillard register, leaving cleaner apple and pear esters from the Kerry yeast component prominently at the centre. The 12 to 14 ppm peat phenols read as heather smoke, dry leaf and earthy phenolic at moderate integrated intensity.